“Oh, just lovely.” Instead of teasing her, Quesnel lost all merriment and looked annoyed.

“That’s me, licensed to kill supernaturals,” said Rue blithely, feeling the strain at the back of her eyes, but making light of the matter for the sake of Prim, who looked like she might cry. “Ain’t it topping?”

“I think Lord Akeldama is worried about the Rakshasas. Doesn’t trust them. Thinks they may have stolen the taxes themselves,” Percy added.

Rue shook her head. “I think it’s most likely Paw overreacting. I bet he heard about the kidnapping, fears the worst, and pressured the Shadow Council into granting me permission to exterminate supernaturals. Or Mother thinks I’m going to accidentally kill a immortal and wants to reduce her paperwork.”

“How did we go from tea to death so quickly?” wondered Quesnel.

“Sometimes,” said Prim darkly, “there is a very fine line between the two.”

“There’s no we!” insisted Rue. “This is my responsibility. I’ve been given the role. Dama obviously doesn’t trust any other agents here in India.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” said Prim firmly. “Of course there’s a we. Now, shall we do some collective cogitation? What did everyone learn at the party about this kidnapping?”

It was a great deal later on in the evening before they retired.

Rue was surprised to find, when she went to open the door to her captain’s quarters, that Quesnel had followed her from the stateroom. She hoped the other two hadn’t seen.

“You aren’t going to take this sundowner burden to heart, are you, chérie?”

Rue looked into his violet eyes, her own yellow ones twinkling. “It is a sacred duty.”

“Are you this flippant about everything?”

“That’s rich coming from you.” Rue only then realised he was being serious, or trying to be. Quesnel didn’t wear serious very well. It looked ill-fitting on him – his mercurial face was pinched and his eyes sombre.

He said, “Dealing out death changes a person. I should not wish to see you so very altered and…” He trailed off.

Rue wondered what he might have said. “How would you know what death does?” she asked, not unkindly.

“I’ve been around it all my life. You know I was partly raised by my great-aunt when I was younger?”

“Yes?” Rue encouraged. She knew very little about Quesnel’s childhood. When they’d first met, he was already at university.

“A ghost.”

“Oh. So you watched her fade to poltergeist?”

“I did.”

“But you have not killed anyone yourself?”

A quick flash of his old charming grin. “Not as far as I know. Perhaps in matters of the heart.”

Rue made the only promise she could. “I will do my best not to use this power, but if we are going after this kidnapped woman and the Rakshasas do have her…”

“You would do it?”